Everyday I am bombarded with people trying to get me to try the newest gadget that will make teaching easier or learning more engaging. These are the tools that I call cool. But how do we know what tool will help make teaching easier? What are some really cool tools? The Whiteboard is a cool tool. They are so much fun and allow the students to be engaged more than ever. The Elmo (Document Camera) is a cool tool. I love being able to use sheets of paper to show the students instead of having to make transparencies and use the overhead projector. Clickers are really cool. These really cause the students to be engaged. What about the iPad? I really love mine but will it replace textbooks? Some people say yes, some say no. There are still some people worried about costs? There are netbooks, tablet pcs and laptops. Would one of them be better than the iPad?
Remember that the major goal of education is to educate not play with cool toys. But what tools will help meet this goal better? Which tool will help the teacher engage the students best? If you had unlimited funds–what technology would you place in your classroom? Why did you choose those things?
Bethel U's Educational Technology Blog 
I know so little about the various gadgets and gizmos; it would be a shot in the dark for whatever I selected. In fact, I am so limited in know-how about today’s technology for the classroom that I tend to be overwhelmed and maybe even overly-impressed. And with no experience in the classroom, I really can’t measure the value of one over the other, what’s good versus what’s bad. I don’t know what’s really needed and what’s not.
However, I do like the idea of having unlimited funds. (A long-term goal has always been for my obituary to read that, “…the severely-aged-and-happy Wilson died independently wealthy.”) Really, if cost was not an issue I would work to make my classroom a “field-test” lab for the various tech companies, so my students could test-drive the latest and greatest. (And then, of course, we would fall in the aforementioned pitfall of playing more than learning.)
My suspicion is that in the future students will carry tablet-/iPad-like devices to and from school more than they carry textbooks now. My guess is also, as Dr. Anderson has noted in class, that there will be a reversal on the banishment of mobile phones in the classroom. I have already heard such hints from a school board member in my district.
Wow, an unlimited budget! I am honestly not sure what I wouldn’t do, more than what I would do. I think to begin with, I would have a classroom set of laptops. (An iPad would be fantastic but I am trying not to be greedy!) We could eliminate textbooks and use books that are online. This would cut out the need to go back to your locker every class period and thus save time. It would also allow students to look up websites that were relevant to the subject matter being taught. I would want a program that allowed me to lock student computers when I needed to.
On a smaller scale, I would like a set of clickers. I would love to do TCAP review where I could have everyone’s response automatically. It would save time and I could have immediate feedback on who knew what. Of course, I would keep my smart board and Elmo.
It is hard for me to imagine teaching without technology, but to be honest, that is the way I started. Encyclopedias and books were what we used for research, and there was not a fast way to communicate with people in other parts of the world.
I am very glad to have the technology that I do and wish I had more.
I am not in the classroom yet but being from the “otherside” and having fancy technology at my fingertips , I think I would like for every student to have an iphone. I would replace the laptops with this phone and let the student use this on a daily basis. I would create lesson plans and daily seatwork involving the iphone. I would restrict the iphone with only the applications of “search engines” I approve for them. Just think of the fun they would have exploring ideas and creating projects.
Never would I have dreamed of how far technology has advanced since I graduated from high school. When I was in middle school and high school, I remember reading articles about the future of video phones and now they are readily available. I’m amazed at all the cool tools available and continue to be amazed every time we meet for class.
I was so excited on learning about google docs and when I visited my son at Vandy this past weekend I told him about it. His reply, “You are just now learning about that”. He crushed me. Oh well, I will find something that he doesn’t know about.
If I had unlimted funds I would probally do less than you would simply because I don’t always feel more is better however I might not pick somethings you would because you have more experience and knowledge about technology than I do. I would defintely have a PC with a printer, a laptop for home and school, a white board for my students and myself, as well as a ipad. These four things can accomplish all that I need as of right now for students. The PC helps with grades and work I want to leave in the classroom, the laptop helps me do the work at home and bring it to school, the white board is a amazing tool for both teachers and students.and the ipad can be used from time to time. The ipad can show the students how much fun they can have while still learning about the class, but I would not use it all the time because there is always a place for textbook learning.
As I was looking online for some sort of gadget or tool that was not already listed here I came across a great idea. The tech is fairly simplistic as far as technology in the classroom goes but the idea is genius. You need a digital video recorder and a program such as Capture Classroom (Rice University, 2010). Depending on what you teach and how you teach it this can be used to record classroom lectures or lessons. They can then be posted on the internet where online students can watch in a real classroom setting or students from that class can go back and not only hear a part of the class they may have forgotten but can see what demonstrations the teacher did that may be fuzzy after being out of the classroom for a few hours. On an elementary/secondary level I’m sure there would be some kind of consent form for this type of tool to be used but I think the ability for parents to see what is going on in the classrooms and for the students to be able to re live a lesson could be invaluable.
Rice University (2010). Gadgets in the classroom. Retrieved October 19, 2010 from http://www.rice.edu/it/labs/gadgets.html.
If funding were not an issue, I would equip every student with a Kindle. “A Kindle is a useful device for an educator because it provides instant access to thousands of books, often for much less than a hard copy of the book” (http: //www.ehow.com/print/how_5257013_use-kindle-ebook-reader-classroom.html). For struggling school systems, this is a great way to provide the material without waiting for new releases or spending lots of money on hardback copies of books. The download takes minutes and access is almost immediate.
In addition, Kindles can allow school librarians the opportunity to preview new books, making new purchases quickly and efficiently. Much-used books fall apart after several readings but with the Kindle, not only is the book selection greater, the books last forever.
In the classroom, Kindles can be great for teachers to keep current with daily news to teach current events. Likewise, a teacher can use the Kindle to research subject matter and gain useful knowledge for lessons. It can be used for basic web browsing and listening to music.
For students, the portability makes the Kindle worth its weight (no pun intended) in gold. Imagine not having to carry a ton of books in a backpack across a crowded high school campus. Weighing in at 8.5 ounces, it is lighter than a paperback.
This is a cool tool that could encourage reading and in turn, increase reading comprehension and test scores across the curriculum.
http: //www.ehow.com/print/how_5257013_use-kindle-ebook-reader-classroom.html
An unlimited budget! I would not know what to do. Just the other day I had to go to Wal-Mart for household needs, while there I decided to go over to the technology center so that I could write this blog. I had no idea that I was this far behind in my knowledge of the current technology, but I am. I started off with the current GPS systems-5 color touchscreen display, announces streets and turns by name for U.S., Canada, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico maps, also speed limit indicator for most roads! Where have I been? Next, IPod/IPhone, with their speaker systems and stereo’s, now wait minute, I was amazed at all of the cool technology of those systems, and don’t even get me started on the Home Theater Universal remote’s and the MP3 player’s. I started making out my Xmas list on the spot. Thank Goodness that they did not have the IPads in stock yet, which is what my wife wants. This was clearly an eye opening experience for me and a constant reminder for me to stay updated on current technology.
With an unlimited budget, I would supply my classroom with the obvious tech equipment; an Interwrite board, and Elmo. I would also ask for a microscope to attach to my Elmo. Then I would request an ipod touch for each of my students and an ipad for myself. I would also ask for splitters and headphones to create “listening centers” where small groups of students could simultaneously listen to the same material. I would access the thousands of free educational apps and choose ones that supplemented my lesson plans to add another dimension of learning to my classroom. I could use a ruler app in math class, and a moonphase app in science. We could conduct interviews with the voice recorder, and create and edit movies about another era in social studies. In language arts we could play games to learn everything from phonics to idoms.
With this kind of technology, I could focus on fun ways to teach standards and hopefully increase test scores!
http://learninginhand.com/ipodtouch/
If I had unlimited funds I would invest in two cool tools: iPod touch and the smart pen. The iPod touch I think is a really good piece of technology that students can use in any class it is small so it’s easy to carry around. There are thousands of free educational apps that can be availabe to students, eg. calculator, dictionary, spell check, math quiz, science quiz, google earth, google sky, iBook and many others.
The smartpen is a very useful tool because when used with a special paper called a dop paper it can record audio of what you have written. This is a very usefull tool in a class where the teacher lectures. Students are never able to write everything that I teacher is saying especially the important things but with this tools you will be able to record the things that without this tool you would probably miss.
My two tools would be the clickers definitely and then probably the interactive whiteboard. The clickers I would get because I am a big proponent of getting everyone involved in class and these do that well. The introverted students are able to supply their input into class discussion through the use of the clickers because they never have to speak. Also, it can be set up where the clickers are not assigned to particular students so each response would be anonymous. The interactive whiteboard has become a favorite of mine since I started this ECI 502 class actually. That was the first time I had been exposed to these. They are very convenient and make presenting powerpoints or anything online more simple since you dont have to go back and forth to the computer to switch slides or sites. I think students would enjoy and benefit most from these two cool tools.
I know this may be way out there but I would choose to purchase the emergency care simulator. The learning and experience this tool provides is outstanding and critical for healthcare students. The virtual patients and scenarios can adequately prepare the student for real-life situations. You can practice uncommon scenarios which will prepare the student for what they may face in real life. It is also anatomically realistic; enabling a wide range of emergency medical interventions to be practiced. Not only can this increase preparedness for real life situations but increase knowledge, reaction time to certain responses, how to handle pressure, and teaching to work as a team. This tool would only be but beneficial in a first aid and CPR class, healthcare club, nursing school, EMT and paramedic programs, and any medical field program.
i do not know much about cool tools but with this class I have learned about a few that I think that could be helpful in the classrooms. I think the “clickers” would be a cool tool in the classroom. The clickers could get the students involoved and make sure they are paying attention in class. The clickers could also cut down on some of the grading work donr by teachers by the answers goign directly to the computer and the computer grading the answers automatically. From a coaching standpoint I would like for the studetns to get invloved with Playmaker. I would like the students to play aorund with creating plays and experimenting with our plays to be understand our scheme for that week. I think that it would be helpful for the players and for the students who are intrested in coaching as a carreer.
If i had unlimited funding I would get an interactive write board and a set of clickers for the classroom. the interactive write board would be great to have not just for me, but it would be awesome for the students as well. The board would allow the students to interact with the lessons, as well as, using it for their own presentations. Then the clickers would be used for attendances and as for class particiaption. I believe that the clickers would surve well in elementary through high school. I like them cause I think that it would great to see if your students were paying attention, by asking a question about the lesson.
An unlimited budget would make things in a classroom much easier. I would love the opportunity to immerse my classroom in many different technologies. I feel that any technology that will get the students to represent a more life-like experience will inevitably benefit the student. Also any technology that will make the teacher’s job easier is also helpful. I think the main concern with most educational technology is that the teacher must understand the technology well enough to make it an effective tool. If the teacher can make good use of the technology then it is effective. That being said I would have a class set of laptops, a projector, and an Elmo. I would have many different types of software loaded on the computer ranging from Google Earth to Educational games. I would also have the program that allows me to control the computers so that any student (who may be like I would have been) is not playing around. I am sure there are many more things that I would use. As long as it aids in learning or teaching it will be useful.
Wow! An unlimited budget. How nice that would be. The first thing I would request would be a laptop computer for all of my students and myself. This would allow my students to use their computers in my classroom and outside of my classroom. The next item I would request would be wifi internet so that my student could access the internet with their laptops. The third item I would request would be software or hardware that I could use to monitor and control each students use of their laptop.
Notice my focus is on computers, and this is because of the importance our society put on computers. We use computers in our jobs, we use computers in our daily communications with others, we use computers for just about everything. Students need to be well prepared for the use of technology after their graduation, and I strongly believe the best preparation is experience.
I think the main responsibility is simply that of the teacher. No matter cool tool they have in their classroom it is their job to use it in a manner for educating rather then for playing. As far as keeping the students engaged, those tools that keep their attention to the front of the classroom or that allows them to actually use themselves would be those best to keep them engaged. Tools that don’t necessarily grab their attention would not be best for keeping them engaged and involved. Tools such as clickers, smart boards or interactive tools that make a lecture more then a lecture would be good for grabbing their attention.
I am going for my Masters in Education in Math so I would use tools that would help with solving problems on the baord or the interactivce calculator with tv interface to keep there attention so they do not fall asleep from someone simply explaining how a problem is done. Why simply talk about it when you can show it! Right?! These type of tools might spark some interest if not at least keep them up and from having their face inthe desk snoring.
With an unlimited budget, I honestly don’t know where I would begin. First, I believe I would request a laptop computer for all my students. This would allow for internet use during my class and the use of different softwares. Second, I would ask for a white board. The use of white boards in a class are amazing. They often captivate student attention. If you captivate student attention then you inturn promote student involvement and learning. Lastly, I would request student response systems. These allow for direct student feedback and as a teacher this is an invaluable resource. The goal of technology is to promote student learning and with these technologies that goal can be achieved.
If I had unlimited funds in my dream classroom, I would have an Interactive Whiteboard, an Elmo, and Smart pens for every students to accompany their Wireless Interactive Tablets. I was never exposed to a White Board until I start this class and I completely fell in love with it. It still amazing me how much you are able to do with this tool. The whiteboard allows the teacher to basically do anything they would do with the desktop computer but from any location in the room. This allows the teacher to not have to walk back to the computer and forth to the board when explaining the lesson. It also allows the teacher to record the instructions for assignments and post the material online for the students review later. Smart pens can be a great tool because it allows the students to record their work, study later when they do not have a teacher readily available. These will hopeful help the student to recall information that they might not have without. Finally, I would ask for the Wireless Interactive Tablets because it allows a better interaction between the teacher and the students. This tablet allows the teacher to be able to walk around the class, maintaining better interactions with each individual student, do corrections on the Interactive White Board. One of the best applications the interactive tablets is for students with special needs such as physical limitations if they needed to write on the white board.